BLACKFOOT
''VERTICAL SMILES''
1984
33:06
**********
01 - Morning Dew 05:26 (Donnie Dobson, Gunner Ross)
02 - Livin' In The Limelight 03:59 (Peter Cetera)
03 - Ride With You 03:31 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
04 - Get It On 04:27 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
05 - Young Girl 04:23 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires, Greg T. Walker)
06 - Summer Days 03:18 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
07 - A Legend Never Dies 03:02 (Brent Maher)
08 - Heartbeat And Heels 03:15 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
09 - In For The Kill 03:50 (Ken Hensley, Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
**********
Rick Medlocke/Lead & Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer
Jakson Spires/Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Ken Hensley/Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Greg T. Walker/Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Sherri Jarrel/Backing Vocals
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Eduardo Rivadavia
Although they'd managed to become bona fide second division stars in England, where their incomparably heavy brand of Southern rock and devastating live performances had thrilled orphaned Lynyrd Skynyrd disciples and open-minded metal heads alike, Blackfoot had made dispiritedly little commercial headway in their own backyard: the American market. So as pressure mounted to deliver a hit for their label, Atco, Rickey Medlocke decided to invite former Uriah Heep keyboard player Ken Hensley to join the band, a calculated move intended to modernize the group's sound for the synth-happy '80s. But 1983's Siogo, though seemingly a passable compromise, still failed to yield any hits, so Blackfoot was literally put on notice prior to getting to work on their next effort, which was rejected upon initial delivery under the working title of "Cry of the Banshee." The band was ordered back into the studio to try again, only without founding second guitarist Charlie Hargrett, who had quit under duress after being fingered as the scapegoat for all of the band's problems (including "looking old" and playing "old-fashioned"-like). The resulting Vertical Smiles was finally released in the summer 1984 and represented not only Blackfoot's creative fall from grace, but also delivered one of the most misogynistic title/cover tandems (see multiple up-skirt Polaroids) since Montrose's equally tasteless and musically inadequate Jump on It eight years earlier. For starters, the first two songs on Vertical Smiles were covers (never a good sign), and although the perennial folk rock favorite "Morning Dew" was remade into a pretty classy power ballad, the ensuing "Living in the Limelight" was doomed from the get-go for being composed by Chicago schmaltz king Peter Cetera, of all people; need we say more? Of the seven originals that followed, few fared any better, being that most had what little lingering guitar grit they could muster summarily buried beneath a wash of unnecessary, glossy ‘80s synth lines, particularly offensive on such titles as "Ride with You," the electronic-drum horror of "Heartbeat and Heels," and the intolerably insipid "Summer Days." Die-hard Blackfoot fans may be able to tolerate partially convincing hard rockers like "Get It On" and "Young Girl" (even though the first one rips off ZZ Top's Eliminator sound; the second, antipodean new wavers Split Enz!), but the surrounding embarrassments are simply too painful to warrant anyone else being exposed to the torment and disappointment that is Vertical Smiles. At least Charlie Hargrett, wherever he was, might have had a good laugh about the whole ordeal.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Bruce Eder
Strikes
Blackfoot were contemporaries of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried for years to make it as a Southern rock band, although they finally succeeded as a hard rock outfit, in the manner of AC/DC and the Scorpions. They racked up a hit album (Strikes) and a pair of successful singles ("Train, Train," "Highway Song") in the late '70s and early '80s, before they became lost in the post-MTV era of visually oriented bands.
Tomcattin'
The group started out as a quartet comprising singer/guitarist Rickey Medlocke (the grandson of bluegrass musician Shorty Medlocke, who wrote "Train, Train"), drummer/singer Jakson Spires, bassist/singer Greg T. Walker, and lead guitarist Charlie Hargrett. Named Blackfoot as an acknowledgment of Medlocke's heritage, they were signed to Island in 1975, evidently as that label's resident Southern rockers, but moved to Epic the following year. Neither relationship was successful, but in 1979, after moving to Atco, their first album for the new label, Strikes, hit a responsive chord -- the group spent the next few years on that label, racking up impressive sales with the follow-ups Tomcattin' and Marauder.
Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot
In the mid-'80s, Blackfoot added ex-Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley in order to bring a new side to their sound. Their fortunes declined amid the advent of MTV and the growth in importance of rock video promotional clips, as well as the influence of sounds from Europe and Australia, and they never recovered, despite efforts to adapt their sound and image. Hensley was replaced, and a new lineup recorded Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot (1987). Only two albums, Medicine Man (1990) and After the Reign (1994), were released during the first half of the 1990s. Committed to his duties in Lynyrd Skynyrd, Medlocke put Blackfoot on ice in 1997.
On the Run
The following decade and into the 2010s, the band was active as a performing act featuring original members but not Medlocke. Blackfoot released a handful of live sets, including On the Run (2004) and Fly Away (2011). In 2012, Medlocke -- still part of Lynyrd Skynyrd -- chose four new musicians to represent Blackfoot and acted as the band's producer.
**********
WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
********************
''VERTICAL SMILES''
1984
33:06
**********
01 - Morning Dew 05:26 (Donnie Dobson, Gunner Ross)
02 - Livin' In The Limelight 03:59 (Peter Cetera)
03 - Ride With You 03:31 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
04 - Get It On 04:27 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
05 - Young Girl 04:23 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires, Greg T. Walker)
06 - Summer Days 03:18 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
07 - A Legend Never Dies 03:02 (Brent Maher)
08 - Heartbeat And Heels 03:15 (Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
09 - In For The Kill 03:50 (Ken Hensley, Rick Medlocke, Jakson Spires)
**********
Rick Medlocke/Lead & Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer
Jakson Spires/Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Ken Hensley/Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Greg T. Walker/Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Sherri Jarrel/Backing Vocals
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Eduardo Rivadavia
Although they'd managed to become bona fide second division stars in England, where their incomparably heavy brand of Southern rock and devastating live performances had thrilled orphaned Lynyrd Skynyrd disciples and open-minded metal heads alike, Blackfoot had made dispiritedly little commercial headway in their own backyard: the American market. So as pressure mounted to deliver a hit for their label, Atco, Rickey Medlocke decided to invite former Uriah Heep keyboard player Ken Hensley to join the band, a calculated move intended to modernize the group's sound for the synth-happy '80s. But 1983's Siogo, though seemingly a passable compromise, still failed to yield any hits, so Blackfoot was literally put on notice prior to getting to work on their next effort, which was rejected upon initial delivery under the working title of "Cry of the Banshee." The band was ordered back into the studio to try again, only without founding second guitarist Charlie Hargrett, who had quit under duress after being fingered as the scapegoat for all of the band's problems (including "looking old" and playing "old-fashioned"-like). The resulting Vertical Smiles was finally released in the summer 1984 and represented not only Blackfoot's creative fall from grace, but also delivered one of the most misogynistic title/cover tandems (see multiple up-skirt Polaroids) since Montrose's equally tasteless and musically inadequate Jump on It eight years earlier. For starters, the first two songs on Vertical Smiles were covers (never a good sign), and although the perennial folk rock favorite "Morning Dew" was remade into a pretty classy power ballad, the ensuing "Living in the Limelight" was doomed from the get-go for being composed by Chicago schmaltz king Peter Cetera, of all people; need we say more? Of the seven originals that followed, few fared any better, being that most had what little lingering guitar grit they could muster summarily buried beneath a wash of unnecessary, glossy ‘80s synth lines, particularly offensive on such titles as "Ride with You," the electronic-drum horror of "Heartbeat and Heels," and the intolerably insipid "Summer Days." Die-hard Blackfoot fans may be able to tolerate partially convincing hard rockers like "Get It On" and "Young Girl" (even though the first one rips off ZZ Top's Eliminator sound; the second, antipodean new wavers Split Enz!), but the surrounding embarrassments are simply too painful to warrant anyone else being exposed to the torment and disappointment that is Vertical Smiles. At least Charlie Hargrett, wherever he was, might have had a good laugh about the whole ordeal.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Bruce Eder
Strikes
Blackfoot were contemporaries of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried for years to make it as a Southern rock band, although they finally succeeded as a hard rock outfit, in the manner of AC/DC and the Scorpions. They racked up a hit album (Strikes) and a pair of successful singles ("Train, Train," "Highway Song") in the late '70s and early '80s, before they became lost in the post-MTV era of visually oriented bands.
Tomcattin'
The group started out as a quartet comprising singer/guitarist Rickey Medlocke (the grandson of bluegrass musician Shorty Medlocke, who wrote "Train, Train"), drummer/singer Jakson Spires, bassist/singer Greg T. Walker, and lead guitarist Charlie Hargrett. Named Blackfoot as an acknowledgment of Medlocke's heritage, they were signed to Island in 1975, evidently as that label's resident Southern rockers, but moved to Epic the following year. Neither relationship was successful, but in 1979, after moving to Atco, their first album for the new label, Strikes, hit a responsive chord -- the group spent the next few years on that label, racking up impressive sales with the follow-ups Tomcattin' and Marauder.
Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot
In the mid-'80s, Blackfoot added ex-Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley in order to bring a new side to their sound. Their fortunes declined amid the advent of MTV and the growth in importance of rock video promotional clips, as well as the influence of sounds from Europe and Australia, and they never recovered, despite efforts to adapt their sound and image. Hensley was replaced, and a new lineup recorded Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot (1987). Only two albums, Medicine Man (1990) and After the Reign (1994), were released during the first half of the 1990s. Committed to his duties in Lynyrd Skynyrd, Medlocke put Blackfoot on ice in 1997.
On the Run
The following decade and into the 2010s, the band was active as a performing act featuring original members but not Medlocke. Blackfoot released a handful of live sets, including On the Run (2004) and Fly Away (2011). In 2012, Medlocke -- still part of Lynyrd Skynyrd -- chose four new musicians to represent Blackfoot and acted as the band's producer.
**********
WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
********************
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